Epilogue

The Rabbit Hole was filled to the brim with people and since it was almost summer, the party had spilled outside as well. Most of the town was present and nobody minded the occasional child that had been brought as well.

Henry was standing with his mothers and Belle and Granny near the bar. He seemed nervous and was looking at the door a lot. Emma knew why but she had been asked by her son not to tell anyone.

It was the farewell party for everyone who would soon go home to the Enchanted Forest to live there and everybody seemed to be having a good time.

"I talked to Ruby this morning," Belle was just saying. "She says that Neal and Hook spent a lot of time talking and playing card games. They've sailed some way around the Enchanted Forest, Hook wants to port there for a few days, get provisions, meet some friends."

"How does she sound?" Emma asked and Belle looked at her intently for a moment.

"Sad," she answered honestly.

"Sorry, I... I miss her," Emma said.

"So do I."

They looked at each other for a moment before Regina stole Emma's attentiion away as she whispered something into her ear. The mayor seemed determined to get good and drunk that night and she had already started on it while Emma stuck to water and juice.

"Do you know that everything started here?" Regina whispered in her ear.

"It did?"

"That night you called me by accident and asked me to get you," Regina reminded Emma who didn't really need the reminder, she remembered most of that night now. "And we ended up on Granny's couch."

Henry cleared his throat next to his mothers as he had heard that last part.

Regina smiled at him and lay a hand on his cheek.

"We just kissed, Henry, but, oh, what a kiss!" she said leaning into Emma who held her close. She looked at their son apologetically and he rolled his eyes. The next moment he grinned, however, and Emma turned to the door that hadn't left Henry's sight since they had arrived.

The Zimmermans had just walked in and Henry had started smiling at the sight of Ava. She was actually a really lovely girl, Emma had to admit, and their son was obviously smitten with her.

"Do you wanna say hello to your friends?" Emma asked.

"May I?" Henry asked as he was already bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Yeah, but... do me a favor," Emma asked and then leaned over to whisper something in his ear. "Okay?"

"Yeah, sure. You got a quarter?" he asked and she searched her pockets for some change.

"Here you go," she said and he sauntered off.

"Where is he going?"

"The juvenile delinquents just arrived," Emma told her lover.

"I thought Henry and Hansel weren't speaking," Regina wondered aloud.

"The move back to the Enchanted Forest has mellowed Hansel some and they're friends once again," Emma told Regina.

"You're always so much better informed about our son's life, why is that?"

"He just told me earlier tonight while you were changing," Emma said looking at the slinky red number her fiancée was wearing.

"Are you saying I'm spending too much time grooming?"

"No, I would never say that. Not that you need it but I always appreciate the result. You're the most stunning woman I know," Emma told her and they kissed. That was the moment when the speed of the music changed from one song to the next and the slow, deep guitar chords of 'Underneath Your Clothes' started from the juke box.

"Oh my God," Regina practically moaned.

"Care to dance with me, woman?"

Regina laughed throatily and they walked hand in hand to the dancefloor where they started to move together in a seductive dance. They held each other losely, letting their hands room to roam, their hips moving together but not too erotically against each other. Regina spoke the words of the song softly into Emma's ear.

"You're sinful, love."

"Wait till later tonight, I'll teach you a sin you haven't known yet," Regina gave back.

"I'm looking forward to it," Emma said smiling her eyes locked tightly on Regina's until the song ended.

"That song hasn't been in that juke box before, I'm pretty sure about that," the mayor said as another slow song began and they just kept moving with it.

"I might have begged Robby to put it in just for tonight. I wanted to dance with you to it," Emma admitted. "This is actually our first dance."

"We've danced before," Regina said with a sly smile.

"Half-naked in your bedroom to no music," Emma remembered.

"Oh, there was music alright."

They smiled at each other and then kissed.

"Hey, Emma. Regina," they were interrupted by a familiar voice next to them.

Emma looked sideways at her father while Regina didn't even feel the need to acknowledge his presence, she nuzzled her face into Emma's neck. Emma barely suppressed a grin as the mayor chose her manner of provocation toward David who had avoided them both since the night he and Regina had come back from the Enchanted Forest.

"Hey, dad. Did you just arrive?"

"Yeah, and your mom, she sent me right over here."

"Snow always had a questionable sense of timing," Regina commented and pulled Emma just a little closer as she still swayed to the music.

"She thought I should... start this evening right by apologizing. I'm very sorry, I didn't... accept your relationship, Emma. I... I don't quite understand how it happened but... I guess, I don't have to. But I should have been supportive and I wasn't. I love you and nothing will change that, ever. I just wanted you to know," he said.

Emma felt Regina's grip tighten for a short moment and she knew that her lover was happy for her about what David had said. But that was the only indication from the dark-haired woman that she had even heard what David had said. She gave no other sign of acknowledgement and Emma was sure that she would give her father a hard time about... pretty much everything for a long time to come. And Emma couldn't say that she disapproved, even though, she planned to take a different route with him. She looked down at Regina.

"Excuse me, while I hug my dad for a second?" she asked with a smile.

"You get one second, no more," Regina gave back, raising her eyebrow at David challengingly.

Emma hugged him.

"Thank you, dad. I'm glad you came around."

"I want you to know that... the things you two said to me, the things Snow said to me... they weren't lost on me. I thought about them for a while and you were right, I was making everyone miserable, including myself. You have to choose your own love, your own family. And I can see that you're happy," David said as he released Emma from a short but tight hug.

Regina slid her hand into Emma's and smiled pleasantly at David. It was a start, at least.

"I am happy," Emma confirmed and, in truth, she now positively beamed at him and then at Regina. "I wanted to tell you when we were alone but... I guess this is a good time, too," she said. "I was at the doctor's yesterday and... I'm pregnant."

Regina's mouth opened but no sound came forth. She simply stared at Emma as her eyes filled with tears, her face took on a look of wonderment and then she smiled. She pressed the hand she held and pulled Emma slowly closer.

"We're going to have a baby?" she asked in a whisper that Emma could barely hear.

"Yeah, we are," she answered and put Regina's hand against her as of yet flat tummy.

Regina leaned her head against Emma's collarbone and her lover could hear her breathing.

David took this as his cue to leave. He squeezed Emma's shoulder for a second and mouthed his congratulations, then he walked over to where Snow stood at the bar.

"I'm so in love with you," Regina whispered and then a laugh burst out of her. It was contagious as Emma started laughing, too. And then they kissed and embraced and danced and celebrated. They were a beautiful sight, a happy sight.

"Your words made quite an impression, what did you say to them?" Snow asked her husband as he leaned against the bar next to her.

"It wasn't what I said, though Emma seemed glad I finally said it. Emma just told Regina that she's pregnant."

"Awww," Snow made. "That is so wonderful. You didn't tell them about our good news, yet, did you?"

"No, I figured this was their moment and I'm happy for them," he answered.

Snow slipped in front of her husband and he pulled her to him, his hands linking over her as of yet flat tummy.

"We can tell them before we leave. Let's have them over for dinner next week."

Snow turned her head to Charming and kissed his chin.

"Yes, let's have a family dinner," she agreed.

The End.

A/N: It was my pleasure. Thank you all and let's do this again some time.

P.S. - After some hesitation, i wanna take this moment to address something that seems to have many of you a little discontented: the use of the term 'woman' as term of endearment. The latest review of a guest confirms this once again but that review made another interesting point, one of me reclaiming the term.

There is some truth in that. At the moment i wrote it, it was to convey that regina didn't want to be seen as queen anymore but as woman and Emma does see her that way and comes up with that term. Regina notes that it sounds crude, like some drunkard addressing a barmaid - that's regina's sentiment here, not mine. What i hear when emma calls regina 'woman' is all the love, all the respect, the admiration, the wonder that each of us holds for regina mills as well.

i know where the discomfort comes from. if this was a heterosexual tale and the female would say: man, my man - it would convey pride and admiration for someone great and worthy. but 'woman' conveys a sense of ownership, degrading for the one who's called that. but that's not in the word, it's in our minds, in our cultures. and it's wrong.

we all know regina is fab, she's amazing, she's larger than life, probably one of the most admired female character on any tv show right now - and why should she not be the impersonation of 'woman' in that sense that we all love her, all admire her? that's the sense out of which i have emma call her 'woman,' that's what i hear when she says it.

Thanks for bearing with my explanation. I don't mean to belittle your concern, I understand it. And I want you to understand why i still chose to stick with that term of endearment - i actually love it.

Thanks for reading and reviewing and being the kind of readers who are able to criticize without being hurtful. You're all amazing to me.